Storage of flat panels, such as artist's works, including paintings, prints and canvasses, has been accomplished by either standing the panels separately on edge or by the use of some type of rack or slotted storage device. Clearly, the storage of a plurality of flat panels, such as paintings, by merely standing each one of the panels on its edge and by leaning each such panel against a wall surface or other vertical support, is very space inefficient. However, since such flat panels, particularly if they have been painted or freshly printed, need to be separated from each other to prevent smearing of the fresh print or paint, they need to be supported out of contact with other such flat panels.
A variety of storage racks and other similar structures have been developed to facilitate the storage of flat panels, such as artists' works, including paintings, prints canvasses and the like. These typically take the form of a pair of spaced, typically horizontal end plates or panels that are joined by a plurality of vertical dividing panels. Such racks can be used to support and to separate a plurality of such artists' works, out of contact with each other. If desired, these prior rack assemblies can be reoriented so that the end plates are vertical and the dividing panels are horizontal. Now the flat panels can be stored in a generally horizontal configuration, again out of contact with each other. Other flat panels, other than artists' works, such as glass panes, mirrors, embroidered panels and the like have also been stored using such rack assemblies.
In many instances, the storage racks do not need to bear a great deal of weight. They are thus often assembled from inexpensive materials, including wooden or similar end plates and a plurality of dowels or rods that define the individual support panels. Such rack assemblies are often provided in a disassembled configuration to save space during shipping and at the point of sale. Such a rack assembly thus needs to be assembled, typically by the consumer, prior to its being usable for its intended purpose. Such assembly has required the use of a variety of fastener elements, such as nails, screws, pins, glue or the like. Each of these fastening devices has added to the difficulty experienced by the ultimate consumer in his or her assembly of the rack assembly. Each of the assembly tasks, such as driving nails, tightening screws, applying glue and other typical fastening installations has added to the complexity of the assembly process of what is typically a utilitarian rack assembly.
Prior rack assemblies have been single purpose devices. Each such rack typically stands alone and has been used solely as a storage rack for the flat panels which are to be stored. If more storage is required, additional rack assemblies can be assembled. There has not been, in the past, a system wherein several individual storage racks could be each assembled and then connected to each other to form a compound storage rack system which could, in turn, be configured as part of a larger structure, such as, for example, a desk or a work bench.
It will thus be seen that a need exists for a modular storage rack unit and system which overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art. The modular storage rack system, in accordance with the present invention, provides such a storage rack unit and system which overcomes the limitations of the prior art.